1 . For nearly a decade now, Merebeth has been a self-employed pet transport specialist. Her pet transport job was born of the financial crisis(危机)in the late 2000s. The downturn hit the real estate (房地产)firm where she had worked for ten years as an office manager. The firm went broke and left her looking for a new job. One day, while driving near her home, she saw a dog wandering on the road, clearly lost. She took it home, and her sister in Denver agreed to take it. This was a loving home for sure, but 1, 600 miles away. It didn’t take long for Merebeth to decide to drive the dog there herself. It was her first road trip to her new job.
Merebeth’s pet delivery service also satisfies her wanderlust. It has taken her to every state in the US except Montana, Washington and Oregon, she says proudly. If she wants to visit a new place, she will simply find a pet with transport needs there. She travels in all weathers. She has driven through 55 mph winds in Wyoming, heavy flooding and storms in Alabama and total whiteout conditions in Kansas.
This wanderlust is inherited from her father, she says. She moved their family from Canada to California when she was one year old, because he wanted them to explore a new place together. As soon as she graduated from high school she left home to live on Catalina Island off the Californian coast, away from her parents, where she enjoyed a life of sailing and off-road biking.
It turns out that pet transporting pays quite well at about $30, 000 per year before tax. She doesn’t work in summer, as it would be unpleasantly hot for the animals in the car, even with air conditioning. As autumn comes, she gets restless—the same old wanderlust returning. It’s a call she must heed alone, though. Merebeth says, “When I am on the road, I’m just in my own world. I’ve always been independent-spirited and I just feel strongly that I must help animals.”
1. Why did Merebeth changed her job?A.She wanted to work near her home. |
B.She was tired of working in the office. |
C.Her sister asked her to move to Denver. |
D.Her former employer was out of business. |
A.make money. | B.try various jobs. |
C.be close to nature. | D.travel to different places. |
A.She has chances to see rare animals. |
B.She works hard throughout the year. |
C.She relies on herself the whole time. |
D.She earns a basic and tax-free salary. |
2 . Is Fresh Air Really Good for You?
We all grew up hearing people tell us to “go out and get some fresh air.”
Recently, people have begun studying the connection between the natural world and healing(治愈).
A.Fresh air cleans our lungs. |
B.So what are you waiting for? |
C.Being in nature refreshes us. |
D.Another side benefit of getting fresh air is sunlight. |
E.But is fresh air really as good for you as your mother always said? |
F.Just as importantly, we tend to associate air with health care. |
G.All across the country, recovery centers have begun building Healing Gardens. |
3 . I have worked as a keeper at the National Zoo, Paris for 11 years. Spot and Stripe are the first tiger cubs that have ever been born here. Globally, a third of Sumatran cubs in zoos don't make it to adulthood, so I decided to give them round-the-clock care at home.
I've got two children—the younger one, Kynan, was extremely happy about the tigers arriving - but all of us really looked forward to being part of their lives and watching them grow. I wasn't worried about bringing them into my home with my wife and kids. These were cubs. They weighed about 2.5 kg and were so small that there was absolutely no risk.
As they grew more mobile, we let them move freely around the house during the day, but when we were asleep we had to contain them in a large room, otherwise they'd get up to mischief. We'd come down in the morning to find they'd turned the room upside down, and left it looking like a zoo.
Things quickly got very intense due to the huge amount of energy required to look after them. There were some tough times and I just felt extremely tired. I was grateful that my family was there to help. We had to have a bit of a production line going, making up “tiger milk”, washing baby bottles, and cleaning the floors.
When Spot and Stripe were four months old, they were learning how to open doors and jump fences, and we knew it really was time for them to go. It was hard for us to finally part with them. For the first few days, Kynan was always a bit disappointed that the cubs weren't there.
I'm not sad about it. I'm hands-on with them every day at the zoo, and I do look back very fondly on the time that we had them.
1. Why did the author bring the tiger cubs home?A.To ensure their survival. | B.To observe their differences. |
C.To teach them life skills. | D.To let them play with his kids. |
A.Behave badly. | B.Lose their way. | C.Sleep soundly. | D.Miss their mom. |
A.Boring. | B.Tiring. | C.Costly. | D.Risky. |
A.They frightened the children. | B.They became difficult to contain. |
C.They annoyed the neighbours. | D.They started fighting each other. |
4 . Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer
Harrogate Music Festival
Since its birth, Harrogate Music Festival has gone from strength to strength. This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We begin on 1st June with Manchester Camerata and Nicola Benedetti, presenting an amazing programme of Mozart pieces.
Dates:1 June-31 July
Tickets:£12-£96
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes
As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor, on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.
We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May, at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required (info@middletonlodge.co.uk)
Dates:23 May-11 July
Tickets: £7.50 per session
Felt Picture Making
Working from an inspirational picture, this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.
We will also discuss the origins of felt, what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.
Dates: 12 June-12 July
Tickets: £40 including materials
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math
A new exhibition in Halifax uses everyday activities to explain the hidden math principles we all use on a regular basis. Pack a bag, cut a cake, guess which juice container holds the most liquid, and much more. Discover how architects, product designers and scientists use similar skills in their work.
Dates:7 May-10 June
Tickets: Free
1. What should you do if you want to attend the taster session of Jodie's fitness classes?A.Join a fitness club. | B.Pay a registration fee. |
C.Make a booking. | D.Hire a personal trainer. |
A.£7.50. | B.£12. | C.£40. | D.£96. |
A.Harrogate Music Festival. | B.Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes. |
C.Felt Picture Making. | D.Figure It Out!-Playing with Math. |
5 . A British woman who won a S1 million prize after she was named the World's Best Teacher will use the cash to bring inspirational figures into UK schools.
Andria Zafirakou,a north London secondary school teacher, said she wanted to bring about a classroom revolution (变革). “We are going to make a change, ”she said.“I’ve started a project to promote the teaching of the arts in our schools.”
The project results from the difficulties many schools have in getting artists of any sort - whether an up-and-coming local musician or a major movie star - into schools to work with and inspire children.
Zafirakou began the project at Alperton Community School, her place of work for the past twelve years. “I've seen those magic moments when children are talking to someone they are inspired by - their eyes are shining and their faces light up,” she said. “We need artists . more than ever in our schools."
Artist Michael Craig-Martin said: “Andria's brilliant project to bring artists from all fields into direct contact with children is particularly welcome at a time when the arts are being downgraded in schools." It was a mistake to see the arts as unnecessary, he added.
Historian Sir Simon Schama is also a supporter of the project. He said that arts education in schools was not just an add-on. “It is absolutely necessary. The future depends on creativity and creativity depends on the young. What will remain of us when artificial intelligence takes over will be our creativity, and it is our creative spirit, our visionary sense of freshness,that has been our strength for centuries."
1. What will Zafirakou do with her prize money?A.Make a movie. | B.Build new schools. |
C.Run a project. | D.Help local musicians. |
A.It is particularly difficult. | B.It increases artists' income. |
C.It opens children's mind. | D.It deserves greater attention. |
A.Moral principles. | B.Interpersonal skills. |
C.Creative abilities. | D.Positive worldviews. |
A.Bring Artists to Schools | B.When Historians Meet Artists |
C.Arts Education in Britain | D.The World's Best Arts Teacher |
In a study of 33 years of trends in Body Mass Index (体重指数) across 200 countries, the scientists found that people worldwide are getting heavier
BMI is an internationally recognized measurement tool
The study found that between 1985 and 2017, average rural BMI increased
This may be due to some disadvantages for people
7 . Ralph Emerson once said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, but to be useful, to be loving, to make some difference in he world. While we appreciate such words of wisdom, we rarely try to follow them in our lives.
Most people prefer to live a good life themselves, ignoring their responsibilities for the world. This narrow perception of a good life may provide short-term benefits, but is sure to lead to long-term harm and suffering. A good life based on comfort and luxury may eventually lead to more pain be-cause we spoil our health and even our character, principles, ideals, and relationships.
What then, is the secret of a good life? A good life is a process, not a state of being : a direction, not a destination. We have to earn a good life by first serving others without any expectation in return because their happiness is the very source of our own happiness. More importantly, we must know ourselves inside out. Only when we examine ourselves deeply can we discover our abilities and recognize our limitations, and then work accordingly to create a better world.
The first requirement for a good life is having a loving heart. When we do certain right things merely as a duty, we find our job so tiresome that we’ll soon burn out. However, when we do that same job out of love, we not only enjoy what we do, but also do it with an effortless feeling.
However, love alone is insufficient to lead a good life. Love sometimes blinds us to the reality. Consequently, our good intentions may not lead to good results. To achieve desired outcome, those who want to do good to others also need to equip themselves with accurate world knowledge. False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. If love is the engine of a car knowledge is the steering wheel(方向盘). If the engine lacks power, the car can’t move; if the driver loses control of the steering, a road accident probably occurs. Only with love in heart and the right knowledge in mind can we lead a good life.
With love and knowledge, we go all out to create a better world by doing good to others. When we see the impact of our good work on the world we give meaning to our life and earn lasting joy and happiness.
1. What effect does the narrow perception of a good life have on us?A.Making us simple-minded | B.Making us short-sighted. |
C.Leading us onto a busy road. | D.Keeping us from comfort and luxury. |
A.Through maintaining good health. |
B.By going through pain and suffering. |
C.By recognizing one’s abilities and limitations. |
D.Through offering help much needed by others. |
A.less selfish | B.less annoying |
C.more motivated | D.more responsible |
A.When we have wrong knowledge of the world. |
B.When our love for the world is insufficient. |
C.When we are insensitive to dangers in life. |
D.When we stay blind to the reality. |
A.inspired by love and guided by knowledge |
B.directed by love and pushed by knowledge |
C.purified by love and enriched by knowledge |
D.promoted by love and defined by knowledge |
1. 人物简介;
2. 尊敬和爱戴的原因。
注意:
1. 词数100左右;
2. 短文题目和首句已为你写好。
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The polar bear is found in the Arctic Circle and some big land masses as far south as Newfoundland. While they are rare north of 88°, there is evidence
Modern methods
The government has awarded $5 million to three different local nonprofit organizations. The money will
One agency,
“You wouldn’t believe